Notes

I haven't danced tango in a year. Hadn't realized how much I'd missed it until today, when I decided to show up at the loonie tango milonga of the U of T Argentine Tango Club. I dug my shoes out of a bin and threw them in a bag, then headed to the party in jeans and a T-shirt. No wearing a flowy skirt in this weather!

The people I used to dance with have improved so much. I'm envious! What have I been doing with my life? Hmph. I danced with a few new faces as well, and I managed to follow decently.

Love it. Will definitely drop in for at least one class. I wonder if I can drag anyone along, actually.

One of the things my mom occasionally reminds me about is the need for
self-defense classes. Yes, even in Toronto. Not only is it important,
but it'd also be a good workout and confidence-booster. Finding a
self-defense class was on my list of goals for 2007.

I attended a free Krav Maga seminar last Sunday on Wayne's
recommendation. It's a form of self-defense developed for the Israeli
army. Quite a workout, too. I have a small bruise and my shoulders are
sore, but if I keep at it, maybe I'll get better at dealing with
things like that. It was fun, although I kept apologizing after
hitting my partner.

I'll settle into my life here and get that sorted out first, but if
there are more free (or inexpensive) seminars, or self-defense
seminars particularly for women, I might try to figure out how to fit
those into my schedule and budget. =)

Wayne's daughter was with him last week, and I enjoyed spending time
with both of them. It was a great way for me to explore all these
sides of me, too--artistic, musical, linguistic, mathematical,
culinary, even physical... =) We played board games and card games,
and in between, I kept an eye out for interesting things to share.

I'm a walking science centre! I *love* capturing a teachable moment,
provoking wonder, or even just trying to figure out how to make an
abstract concept real for her. For example, last night, I couldn't
resist the temptation to try and teach her more about fractions.
Sixteen oranges divided in various ways... =)

Anyway, that was tons of fun. Definitely among the best ways to spend
my evenings. =)

I'm still a little sore from krav maga last Sunday. I don't think it's
just the strain, although I'll stretch more and get used to the pain
of attacking or defending. I had a hard time sleeping last night, too.
A series of nightmares...

After learning a tiny fraction about defense against a knife, of
course my mind goes and constructs a knife attacker to see how that
might work. In my dream, I felt the fight-or-flight response (and
definitely leaned toward flight!). The strange thing was that it
didn't stop there... Rather, I ended up flashing back to the last time
I felt a really strong fight-or-flight response, which had nothing to
do with knives and everything to do with overhearing my name in
conversation. That really sucked; I just couldn't stop my heart from
racing.

And then I ended up dreaming someone I know was really really sad, and
I just couldn't figure out how to explain things to cheer her up, and
I just felt terrible.

So yeah, not quite restful sleep for me yesterday. Strange, isn't it?
A knife grabs attention, but it's worse to wake up and realizing that
your phantasms are less obvious and more real.

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Page: 2007.02.26

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